Aaron Danks praised “brilliant” Aston Villa after Sunday’s thrashing of Brentford at Villa Park.
Stepping in to lead the team for the first time, the first-team coach presided over a superb performance and a 4-0 win.
Danks said the players delivered everything he had asked of them, working right up to the final whistle to ensure an emphatic result.
He said: “We asked the players to start with as much energy as they could and build a tempo. The start to the game was fantastic and the momentum they built into the game.
“The first goal was a really well-worked set piece off the training ground yesterday morning, so credit to the staff behind that.
“Our fluidity, our forward passing was excellent today.
“We wanted to try and keep it going for 96 minutes and we knew that was going to be tough. We held a few players back on the bench so that they could make an impact and keep that momentum going.
“On the whole, they were brilliant. We just showed a clip to them in the dressing room to the players. There was a corner in the 86th minute that we take and then have to transition all the way back to our goal, and ten players were all running and working so hard for the team to get it over the line.”
Leon Bailey revelled in his role on the left wing, scoring the opener and providing assists for Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, while Villa’s No9 also netted a penalty.
It was a fantastic end to a hectic week for Danks, who admitted that leading the team was a surreal moment for him.
“It’s been a really exciting experience,” he said.
“I couldn’t look backwards; I could only look forwards and I had to find a way for us to approach this game and work hard on it.
“I’m absolutely shattered and exhausted now because it’s been three really tough days.”
He added: “It was a pinch yourself moment as a local lad who knows many people in the ground today. I definitely had to pinch myself but it was a great feeling.
“We won’t get carried away; we know where we are in the league and we need to pick up momentum. We’re back in tomorrow morning and we’ll just go again.”
